Sunday, June 8, 2014

Week 37- Opening a new area

Family!!! It was so good to hear from you this week.  I have been missing you guys a ton and I couldn't wait to email you!  It sounded like you had a great week; I know the last week of school usually goes by pretty fast.  You were able to get some riding in and see some beauty...my beauty is a little different here haha it really is nice here but you have to find the beauty of it.  Dad you sound like you are busy, I always admire how hard you work, I don't know how you have the strength to do that.  Mom I am excited about your marathon just have that confidence always I know you can do it!  You will have to find things to keep you busy this summer!  I really miss you guys but I am doing great and I always love hearing how you are doing, I am so thankful that you are all healthy and doing well.  Cami is so dang funny, I miss her but am glad she is doing well; keep her in our prayers always!!  

This week was a great week!! I was with Elder Jones the whole week and we got rained out one day and then another day had some things come up so are numbers weren't too hot but we finished it strong by baptizing E!! The only bummer thing was, I wasn't able to witness the Baptism.  President called me Friday evening and told me that they were expecting 13 new missionaries this transfer but now there are 16 so he said we have enough to split some areas, and he needs me to open one of them.  He wants me to get to know it as well as I can before transfers.  He as well told me my new companion is Elder Zollinger, from Malta, Idaho.  I can't believe it, it’s been so sweet, we have been together for a couple of days now and have just talked each other’s ears off about everything, I love this kid!!   I hope we stay a whole transfer together but I think the reason President did this, especially since he mentioned the new missionaries coming in, I think he wants me to train and open this new area with a new missionary, we will see I’m not usually right when it comes to these things but who knows! I am excited to work with Zollinger for however long we got.  I called Elder Jones though and he said E's baptism was great, he said he was just glowing and had a huge smile on his face, I will send you a picture of us the night before I left.  He is a bike mechanic and was working but stayed late so we could learn and then we just said our goodbyes and that was that, I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father preparing him, this is the lords work!  This week though at mommy G we had a ton of fun!  She fed us so much fufu and Banku this week with cow leg as meat haha, Ghanians they eat cow leg here all the time and they always have to eat some sort of meat with their meals, it’s funny.  Well G is sad that I won't be there to baptize her daughter-in-law, and her son, I am as well but it’s important that they make this decision not of me but for them, they are and they have strong testimonies that is actually the girl that posted on my Facebook, we are always saying gay haha I love Facebook it will be great to be able to stay in contact with my Recent Converts!!   
I forgot my Apartment now in this new area is really nice, we have running water and it’s just a nice apartment, it will be nice to always have a shower consistently and not have to shower out of a dang bucket anymore, haha it’s all about the memories.  We stay in a Muslim community but it’s a super safe compound where a bunch of people stay so there are always people there looking after it.  We are serving in Darkoman which is Kaneshie and it’s a big ward in a stake center here.  So we are going to really strive to work with members and get them excited about missionary work.  I am excited for this new area, it seems like we are going to have a ton of success here.   The Area is safe so there are no worries there, I have everything I need as well!  
This week though, I was just thinking about how children live here and how children live in the U.S.  When you see real poverty and see the way children live here it breaks your heart.  You know I think about the things that I used to complain about back home, like it’s too cold in this AC car and other stupid things, while kids are complaining about what they are going to eat the next day, or how they are going to pay for school.  The other day as well I saw a little girl just squatting taking a dump in a bucket outside in front of everyone...this is normal and I was just like kids back home would never do that. We are so blessed and we truly have never gone, gone without, at least I haven't and I am so full of gratitude.  So maybe we can just think about all of our blessings, I know we do though, but I am so blessed to have such a great family, I love you guys so dang much we have a great family with great memories! 

Well this week was great! Thank you for the emails, I again love to hear from you!! I love you three so very much and am so proud to be a Carson!  Dad, Mom, and Colby know I miss you and think of you every single day; you are always in my prayers!

Love you guys bunches!!
Elder Duke

Elder Carson